92 



lead us to conceive, that the summits of New 

 Andalusia are very far from reaching the supe- 

 rior limit of the trees, which in this latitude is 

 at least 1800 toises of absolute height. The 

 smooth turf of the Cocollar begins to appear at 

 350 toises above the level of the sea, and the 

 traveller may contrive to walk upon this turf, 

 till he reaches a thousand toises of height. Far- 

 ther on, beyond this band covered with grami- 

 neous plants, we found, amidst peaks almost 

 inaccessible to man, a small forest of cedrela, 

 javillo*, and mahogany. These local circum- 

 stances induce me to think, that the mountain- 

 ous savannahs of the Cocollar and Turimiquiri 

 owe their existence only to the destructive cus- 

 tom the natives have of setting fire to the woods, 

 which they want to convert into pasturage* 

 Thus, where during three centuries grasses and 

 alpine plants have covered the soil with a thick 

 carpet, the seeds of trees can no longer germi- 

 nate and fix themselves in the earth, though the 



- Hura crepitans, of the family of the euphorbiums. The 

 growth of it's trunk is so enormous, that Mr. Bonpland 

 measured vats of javillo wood, 14 feet long, and 8 wide. 

 These vats, made out of one log of wood, are employed to 

 keep the guarapo, or juice of the sugar-cane, and the melasses. 

 The seeds of javillo are a very active poison, and the milk 

 that issues from the petioles when broken frequently produced 

 inflammation in our eyes, if by chance the least quantity pene- 

 trated between the eyelids. 



5* 



